The present invention relates to devices for protecting plants and, more particularly, to a device for protecting potted plants.
Plants which are grown indoors in flower pots have long been very popular with the public because they are attractive and it is believed that they improve the air in a room by absorbing carbon dioxide and giving off oxygen. However, there are some problems in growing such plants. In particular, heated rooms tend to be very dry and thus the moisture in the pots evaporates rapidly. Thus, frequent watering may be necessary. Also, people tend to use the pots as ashtrays for cigarette and cigar ashes. These ashes upset the chemical balance in the soil and may injure the plant. Further the pots may be knocked over so that the soil spills out. This not only may injure the plant, it may make a mess in the room which is difficult to clean up.
In the past various devices have been proposed to protect plants against various hazzards. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 915,897 to Skorness describes a cover with two sections with mating half circles, which sections are hinged together. When these sections have been placed about a plant so that it extends through the opening formed by the half circles, the sections are fastened together. Then the sections, which rest on the upper rim of the flower pot, act as a protection against cigarettes or other injurious matter being thrown into the earth in the flower pot. Further, the cover tends to reduce the evaporation of moisture from the soil. However, this particular cover will not prevent soil from spilling from the pot if it should be tipped over. The same is true of a herbicidal-containing protective cover illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,891,423 to Stanley et al.
Some plant protective covers have been proposed which are also capable of preventing spillage of the soil. These include the covers in Design patent No. 193,246 to Spoorsingel and utility U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,785,508 to Coleman, 3,618,260 to Convey et al. and 3,961,443 to Insalaco. These covers have a major draw back to their use; they are suitable for only one size pot. Each has a locking mechanism that is adapted to the rim size of a particular pot and thus, they cannot be used on a variety of sizes. Further because of these locking mechanisms, the installation and removal of the cover from the pot is not without its problems.